-The recently released In My Dream compiles the first three singles by Wollongong band SundayPainters. Recorded in the years 1980-81, it is a great example of mangled, DIY post punk and new wave, the kind that Australia produced so well in the late '70s & early '80s (think along the lines Wet Taxis, Terse Tapes, Melbourne’s Little Bands et al). Despite the oddness of the instrumentation and production, many of the songs are solid, accessible rock'n'roll tunes. They’re just intentionally frazzled around the edges.

The Painter’s attitude towards pop music is made explicit in the spoken word piece ‘Part Two’, in which it is stated: “Pop Music is used lyrically and musically to reinforce certain attitudes that young people would tend to otherwise repudiate. The subversion of the system of control should now be the prime consideration of intelligent musicians.” This attitude of subversion is exemplified in their cover of David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel. This version apparently garnered airplay on Sydney’s 2JJJ back in the day, being a station favourite.

Other good rock’n’roll tunes include Car Crash and Venus (Bathed In Misogyny), both of which are anchored by simple drum machine patterns .Also worthy of note are the two longer songs Please Kill Me and In My Dream, both exceeding the eight minute mark. These recordings give you an impression of what it is the Sunday Painters sounded like live. The percussive backing to Heart Of A Siren pans around, consisting of pitched white noise slurs, underpinning some slightly more strangely pitched vocals. This is in contrast to the accompany guitar parts and solo that are clean.

Ultimately, In My Dream is a musically diverse set of demented pop songs that are equally influenced by punk and do-it-yourself experimentalism and, whether you're still subverting the system, or by this time taking a guiltily a-political nostalgia-trip down memory lane, they still have all the entertaining teeth they were born with.

- Hamish Hill.